I Became a Genius Swordsman in the Pretty Girl Game

Shin Se-hee, followed by Ga-eul-senpai, Sophia, Ichika, Alice, and then Master.

Actually, by order, Master should have been placed before Ga-eul-senpai…

However, Master had some business related to the Demon Slayer Squad and requested to be moved to the end of the line.

Honestly, it was a relief in some ways.

‘Because I have no idea what Master, Ichika, or Alice’s individual stories are. Or if they even exist, to begin with…’

In Velvets, Master isn’t entirely absent.

The Demon Slayer Squad makes dramatic appearances to assist players in dire, life-or-death situations.

Their standard appearance, wearing animal masks and dressed in black, resembles ninjas.

Grateful players who were saved by her would often post in online communities: [Sob! Damn it, I owe her big time!!! Ninja Master!!!], along with memes of people bowing their heads.

‘But there’s no story about Master as an individual. We never even see her without the mask.’

Ichika’s case was even more puzzling.

In the original, if you took on the Jukai Forest quest, she was already dead, appearing as a mysterious girl filled with lingering resentment.

And Alice…

I was transmigrated moments after I summoned her. How could I possibly know how Alice’s personal story unfolds?

‘I suspect it involves the Sword Emperor somehow… but unlike the game, the Sword Emperor is alive and well here, so this is all speculation.’

Because of this, Ga-eul-senpai and Sophia, whose stories I was familiar with from the game, felt relatively easier to deal with.

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Ga-eul-senpai’s Personal Story

The story involves teaching a party member how to bake bread.

It’s essentially a slice-of-life narrative, but it perfectly fits Lim Ga-eul’s personality—someone who finds joy in doing things for others.

When I rented out an entire bakery and called Ga-eul-senpai,

“Ha-ha─! Finally! My turn!?”

She exclaimed dramatically, stretching out her arm confidently as if she had been preparing for this moment.

“Senpai, teach me how to bake bread.”
“Finally! I-I get to teach my kouhai something! I’ve reached the moment where I stand above my kouhai! Yes! This day has come at last!! This is it, this feeling of being relied upon. I love it so much…”
“Calm down, noona.”

At that, Ga-eul-senpai clapped her hands over her mouth, her face filled with emotion.

“N-Noona!? Not Senpai, but Noona!? Gasp! So this is the destructive power of the ‘boyfriend mode kouhai’ I’ve only heard about in rumors… Sob! This noona can die happy now…”
“Calm down, senpai.”

If I were to rank everyone based on how they’ve changed from the game in reality,
it might not be Master, Ichika, or Alice who comes out on top, but rather this person.

‘In the game, she was such a nurturing figure, soft and kind, guiding everyone gently… How did she turn into someone so, well, unfortunate?’

Of course, this “unfortunate” side is part of her charm.
Still, there were times when I couldn’t help but look at her with slightly exasperated eyes.

“Kouhai, you’d better follow along closely, okay? This noona’s training is grueling!”

And so, Lim Ga-eul’s bread-making class began.

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Ga-eul-senpai watched Jin Yuha kneading dough according to her instructions, smirking ominously to herself.

‘Hehe… My kouhai is a genius who excels at everything, but he has one glaring flaw.’

That flaw was…

A cooking ability that was absolutely, catastrophically hopeless!

When party members would rotate cooking duties, the rules were adjusted specifically to exempt Jin Yuha, with the reasoning that “the party leader doesn’t need to handle these trivial chores.”

In other words, this was her once-in-a-lifetime chance to assert herself as a proper senpai.

Ga-eul-senpai stuck close to Jin Yuha, offering sincere guidance in a gentle voice.

“Ah, add about 50ml of water there… Yes, like that. Now, gently move your hands like so…”

However,

The result was something Ga-eul-senpai could not have foreseen.

“T-This can’t be…”

Kouhai was supposed to be the worst when it came to cooking.
A cursed chef whose food even stray dogs would spit out.

“But this, this is…”

As the oven beeped, signaling the bread was ready, Jin Yuha pulled out a loaf.

Steam wafted from it as a fragrant, almost intoxicating aroma assaulted her senses.

The loaf had a deep brown hue that transitioned into a lighter gradient,
its soft, airy texture practically visible without even tasting it.

Even next to her own bread, which now seemed pitifully deflated, his creation was undeniably perfect.

“No, no way. T-There’s no way your bread could look this good! I-It must taste terrible—!”

Biting her lip, Ga-eul-senpai refused to accept it.

As the daughter of two master bakers who had run Ga-eul’s Bakery—a neighborhood favorite for 20 years—her pride was on the line.

She tore off a corner of Jin Yuha’s bread and brought it to her mouth.

And upon tasting it…

“Why…?”
“How…?”
“Kouhai, you were terrible at cooking…”

It was the sweet taste of betrayal.

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Seeing Ga-eul-senpai, her eyes hollow and lifeless, I felt a twinge of unease.

‘…Isn’t she supposed to be overjoyed when you succeed and shower you with praise in this story? Why is her reaction like this?’

In the original, Ga-eul-senpai’s personal story, subtitled Ga-eul’s Heart-Pounding Bakery♥, was a rhythm game.

You’d knead dough in time to the beat and add ingredients with precise timing.
Achieving an All-Perfect score would reward you with affection points and other bonuses.

During the baking process, there were moments when my inner culinary instincts threatened to burst forth.
But I thought sticking strictly to Ga-eul-senpai’s instructions would yield the best outcome this time.

‘Hold it in. This isn’t your moment to shine!’

And so, I sealed away my “kitsch,” “unique,” and “naïve” sensibilities.

I focused solely on accurate measurements and controlled movements, foregoing any creative flair.

‘Precision and control—skills honed through swordsmanship—were enough for this.’

But somehow, this approach seemed to have backfired.

“J-Junior…! T-This is betrayal!!! How could you do this to me!?”

With a cry full of anguish and despair, Ga-eul-senpai slumped to the ground, hands braced on the floor.

Ding─♬

Autumn-senpai has acquired a new trait.

[Trait – Flower That Blooms in Despair]

“……”

This is good.
It’s really good.

The trait resets a skill’s cooldown once per battle. For someone like Ga-eul-senpai, whose fighting style heavily relies on skills, it’s practically perfect.

Yes, it’s good.
Definitely good, but still…

Is it really okay for her to gain a trait this way…?

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“Sophia, what do you think about me working as a model with you?”

Learning from my experience with Ga-eul-senpai, I cautiously approached Sophia.

Sophia’s personal story revolves around overcoming the scars she sustained during a midterm evaluation, which forced her to give up her modeling career. The story supports her in reclaiming her dreams.

Of course, the Sophia before me had no such scars—because I intervened before it could happen.

Still, the moment I suggested modeling together, Sophia’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Modeling? With me? Really?!”
“Yeah. I want to walk the runway with you and maybe even get featured in magazines.”

It seemed she hadn’t fully given up on her dreams after all, judging by how overjoyed she looked.

“Alright! But you have to follow my lead, okay?! Modeling isn’t easy, you know!”
“Sure, I’ll do everything you tell me.”
“Ehehe, great! Then let’s grab a camera first!”

Click, click!

The sound of the shutter echoed repeatedly in the photo studio we had rented.

“Yes, yes! Just like that! Oh, could you maybe unbutton two more buttons on your shirt? I think it would really enhance the mood…”
“…That would leave just one button.”
“That’s the point!”

I wasn’t sure if this was the right move, but… if Sophia seemed happy, that’s probably what matters, right?

And so, I let her snap picture after picture of me, practically half-dressed.

Huff─
Huff─

Occasionally, the heavy breathing coming from behind the camera was a little unsettling. But I chalked it up to her sheer passion for modeling.

Click!

After spending the entire day correcting my poses, expressions, and movements, we headed to Milan to visit one of the most prestigious magazine publishers.

“Unb-believable!!! M-Magnificent!! Oh, to think I could capture such a divine physique with my camera in this lifetime!! Hah─! To feel my skills might be inadequate—it’s… it’s too much to bear! I must steel myself!”

The slightly unhinged photographer fainted a few times during the shoot, exclaiming as if they’d seen a deity. But the photos turned out great—so great, in fact, that Sophia bit her lip in frustration.

“Damn it…! It’s infuriating, but… these photos… If I had better equipment and a more elaborate set… No, no, this is purely my lack of skill! Even with an impeccable subject that transcends the backdrop, I failed…”

‘Does everyone in the modeling industry end up like this…?’

The runway show that we hastily arranged also went off without a hitch.

As soon as we expressed our desire to model, fashion brands from all over the world clamored to get in touch with us.

Amidst all the attention, we completed the runway show.

Sophia’s gaze afterward was bright but unfocused, her expression a strange mix of clarity and reverence.

She knelt down, clasped her hands, and adopted a prayer-like stance.

“Ahhh… To think I walked the runway with Jin Yuha… as a couple model… I can die happy now. I feel like I’m about to ascend…”
“Don’t ascend. I need you here.”

Ssssshhhh─

Sophia also gained a skill.

[Skill – Divine Grace]

-Casts a holy barrier that counters negative status effects from enemies.

-Cooldown: 10 minutes.

At this point…

Nothing surprises me anymore.